us?”
“I know him, “ Ezra temporized.
“That don’t tell me nothing’.”
“Billy knows him, too. He’s sort of a friend of Billy’s.”
O’Folliard eyed Ezra. “Seems like it’d be easy to say whether he’s one of us or not. You been saying everything else.”
“Jesus, he’s only one man!” Ezra burst out. “He can’t do us any harm, even if he does work for Dolan.”
“So he ain’t on our side.” O’Folliard aimed the carbine.
“No!” Ezra flung himself at the Texan, knocking the gun from his hands, then scrambled
to his feet, pulling his Colt as he faced O’Folliard.
“I’ll see you dead before I let you kill Mark Halloran,” Ezra snarled. “Hey,” O’Folliard protested. “You and me’s working together, right?” “Put the carbine away,” Ezra ordered.
O’Folliard shrugged, eyeing the Colt. He shoved the carbine into the scabbard. “Okay, smart-ass, what now?”
Ezra took a deep breath. “We ride down and escort Halloran to Billy.” He reholstered the Colt.
“And get shot for our pains.”
“He won’t shoot me,” Ezra said, sounding more positive than he felt.
Mark did work for Dolan, after all, and no Dolan man was any damn good. Wasn’t a one could be trusted.
“Then you go meet this old friend of yours,” O’Folliard said. “I’ll just mosey back to Billy and let him know what’s coming. One more thing, boy. You don’t pull a gun on me again and live to tell it.”
They remounted and their horses scrambled down the hill. As O’Folliard galloped toward the Regulators, Ezra headed at a trot toward Mark, tense and nervous, but at the same time sort of pleased with himself for facing up to O’Folliard.
He hailed Mark, then stopped to wait for him, keeping his right hand hovering near the butt of his Colt.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Mark said as he came up.
Ezra relaxed a little, seeing Mark was making no move to go for his gun.
“Here I am.”
Mark raised his eyebrows. “Where you ought to be is back in Lincoln.”
Ezra shook his head. “I’m riding with Billy now. We’re protecting McSween. I have to bring you up to Billy so he can decide what to do about you following us.”
“The only reason I’m here is to find you, I promised your sister I’d bring you back with me.”
“Well, damn it, you almost got shot, and all for nothing because I’m not about to desert The Regulators when they need me.”
“Tessa needs you more than they do,” Mark said. “Peppin and some of his friends had the nerve to insult her in the street last month. She isn’t safe alone in Lincoln any more. She needs your protection.”
“McSween wouldn’t have left his wife in town if there was going to be trouble,” Ezra said.
“There’s going to be trouble.”
“What’s Dolan mean to do?”
“Dolan can’t control those gunslingers he’s hired any more than McSween can control The Regulators,” Mark said, “Lincoln’s got too many men on the prod--no man can control them. One of these days there’ll be a hell of a shoot-out. You have a little brother in town as well as your sister. You’re no good to either of them out here in the hills.”
“If you don’t like what Dolan’s doing, how come you keep working for him?”
“I take care of his cows, not his other business.”
Ezra sneered. “That’s what you say.”
Mark’s expression didn’t change. “You ready to ride back?”
As Ezra started to refuse, the sight and sound of horses coming up fast from the southeast
made him pause.
Billy and O’Folliard rode into sight. Billy saluted Mark, grinning. “Come to join us?” “Tessa asked me to come after Ezra,” he said.
Ezra flushed in anger and humiliation, Mark talked like he was still a little boy.
Billy glanced at him, then back at Mark. “Sounds like a good idea. Ain’t no one protecting the women at McSween’s except Shield and he’s no great hand with a gun. Ez is damn good.”
“But The Regulators--”
“I know him, “ Ezra temporized.
“That don’t tell me nothing’.”
“Billy knows him, too. He’s sort of a friend of Billy’s.”
O’Folliard eyed Ezra. “Seems like it’d be easy to say whether he’s one of us or not. You been saying everything else.”
“Jesus, he’s only one man!” Ezra burst out. “He can’t do us any harm, even if he does work for Dolan.”
“So he ain’t on our side.” O’Folliard aimed the carbine.
“No!” Ezra flung himself at the Texan, knocking the gun from his hands, then scrambled
to his feet, pulling his Colt as he faced O’Folliard.
“I’ll see you dead before I let you kill Mark Halloran,” Ezra snarled. “Hey,” O’Folliard protested. “You and me’s working together, right?” “Put the carbine away,” Ezra ordered.
O’Folliard shrugged, eyeing the Colt. He shoved the carbine into the scabbard. “Okay, smart-ass, what now?”
Ezra took a deep breath. “We ride down and escort Halloran to Billy.” He reholstered the Colt.
“And get shot for our pains.”
“He won’t shoot me,” Ezra said, sounding more positive than he felt.
Mark did work for Dolan, after all, and no Dolan man was any damn good. Wasn’t a one could be trusted.
“Then you go meet this old friend of yours,” O’Folliard said. “I’ll just mosey back to Billy and let him know what’s coming. One more thing, boy. You don’t pull a gun on me again and live to tell it.”
They remounted and their horses scrambled down the hill. As O’Folliard galloped toward the Regulators, Ezra headed at a trot toward Mark, tense and nervous, but at the same time sort of pleased with himself for facing up to O’Folliard.
He hailed Mark, then stopped to wait for him, keeping his right hand hovering near the butt of his Colt.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Mark said as he came up.
Ezra relaxed a little, seeing Mark was making no move to go for his gun.
“Here I am.”
Mark raised his eyebrows. “Where you ought to be is back in Lincoln.”
Ezra shook his head. “I’m riding with Billy now. We’re protecting McSween. I have to bring you up to Billy so he can decide what to do about you following us.”
“The only reason I’m here is to find you, I promised your sister I’d bring you back with me.”
“Well, damn it, you almost got shot, and all for nothing because I’m not about to desert The Regulators when they need me.”
“Tessa needs you more than they do,” Mark said. “Peppin and some of his friends had the nerve to insult her in the street last month. She isn’t safe alone in Lincoln any more. She needs your protection.”
“McSween wouldn’t have left his wife in town if there was going to be trouble,” Ezra said.
“There’s going to be trouble.”
“What’s Dolan mean to do?”
“Dolan can’t control those gunslingers he’s hired any more than McSween can control The Regulators,” Mark said, “Lincoln’s got too many men on the prod--no man can control them. One of these days there’ll be a hell of a shoot-out. You have a little brother in town as well as your sister. You’re no good to either of them out here in the hills.”
“If you don’t like what Dolan’s doing, how come you keep working for him?”
“I take care of his cows, not his other business.”
Ezra sneered. “That’s what you say.”
Mark’s expression didn’t change. “You ready to ride back?”
As Ezra started to refuse, the sight and sound of horses coming up fast from the southeast
made him pause.
Billy and O’Folliard rode into sight. Billy saluted Mark, grinning. “Come to join us?” “Tessa asked me to come after Ezra,” he said.
Ezra flushed in anger and humiliation, Mark talked like he was still a little boy.
Billy glanced at him, then back at Mark. “Sounds like a good idea. Ain’t no one protecting the women at McSween’s except Shield and he’s no great hand with a gun. Ez is damn good.”
“But The Regulators--”
Similar Books
